Envision Utah

Salt Lake City Region, Utah

In 1998, Fregonese Associates began helping the Coalition for Utah's Future develop a regional growth management strategy for the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, encompassing 1,200 square miles of the Wasatch Front Region. The firm led a consultant team and connected all stakeholders including governments, local businesses and the public.

This unique and value-driven process synthesized extensive public involvement and scientific analyses using GIS techniques. Key issues addressed included controlling urban sprawl, protecting environmental quality, strengthening the regional economy, and providing affordable housing.

Based on extensive modeling and analysis, Fregonese Associates developed three alternative growth scenarios (in addition to the State generated "Base Case") which were presented to the public in early 1999. Through input from three rounds of workshops, a wide-circulation newspaper and web survey, a preferred scenario was selected.

During 1999, Fregonese Associates developed the Quality Growth Scenario based on the public's preferred scenario which incorporates population, housing demand and employment projections to 2020. The Quality Growth Scenario would consume less land than the baseline scenario, use considerably less farmland, increase transit ridership and accommodates a wider range of housing choices throughout the region. It would also result in significant savings on infrastructure costs for roads, sewers and other services required as an urban area expands.

For these efforts, the American Planning Association selected Envision Utah as winner of the national 2002 Daniel Burnham Award.